As the U.S. Fashion Industry Association's representatives in Washington try to find out timing for a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, Senate Finance Committee staff members are telling them “there’s a lack of urgency with respect to this” among senators. David Spooner, Washington counsel for USFIA, told an online audience March 30 that Congress seems to think that since importers will get refunds for goods that should have qualified for GSP during this period once it's renewed, it's no big deal. “But we know what a pain in the rear the retroactive renewals are,” he said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will consider how the coup in Myanmar (formerly Burma) might affect that country's eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, which is currently on hiatus. The USTR made the announcement March 29, and also said that there will be no trade engagement under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement until the return of a democratically elected government. “Reports that the military has targeted Burma’s trade unions and workers for their role in the pro-democracy protests raise serious concerns about worker rights protections,” the notice said. According to USTR data, about 45% of exports from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to the U.S. could be covered by GSP, but the country is not a large user of the program, only exporting $284 million worth of goods under GSP in 2019, according to USTR.
A readout of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's call with India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal made no mention of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, where India was the largest beneficiary before it was barred over U.S. medical device and dairy exporters' complaints. The Indian government did not release a press release summarizing its view of the call. Tai's office said that they “agreed to work constructively to resolve key outstanding bilateral trade issues and to take a comprehensive look at ways to expand the trade relationship.”
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of March 15-21:
When members of Congress had the opportunity to publicly tout their priorities for legislation this year at the House Ways and Means Committee, most of the Democrats emphasized social spending and ending the cap on state and local tax deductions on personal income taxes more than traditional infrastructure projects. Only one Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, spoke at the March 23 hearing, to say that Republicans would boycott the hearing because holding a hearing without any expert witnesses was just a cover for “another multi-trillion, one-sided spending bill.”
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated March 16. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
House Ways and Means Committee chief trade counsel Katherine Tai was confirmed by the Senate as U.S. trade representative on March 17, by a 98-0 vote. Politicians from both parties, trade skeptics and export-focused trade associations all hailed her promotion to the Biden administration Cabinet. She is the first woman of color to be USTR.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of March 8-14:
The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee said he and the committee chairman have not discussed whether renewing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill is going to have to wait for an infrastructure package to move. “I know [Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)] and MTB are very much on the radar,” Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, told reporters on a March 12 conference call. “We just haven’t gotten a signal about the timing there. Really the COVID stimulus has sucked up all the oxygen at this point.”
The Biden administration is emphasizing the need to fight forced labor and exploitative labor conditions, as well as using trade to fight climate change, in the first Trade Agenda published since President Joe Biden took office.